Yes, that is correct. I neglected to include build-essential. I got so caught up in the dependencies, I forgot what they depended on in the first place. I think I have the build and header files installed correctly now. I was attempting to install the compat-wireless-3.5.4-1-snpc.tar.bz2 file you posted and got these errors at the end: paste.ubuntu.com/1367443
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PaulNov 18 '12 at 13:02

Wow. Are you running on a USB key or a virtual device or ... ?? I am afraid I am not experienced in GRUB. You may need to start a new question. You should be able to load the alx driver temporarily to test: sudo insmod /home/ubuntu/Desktop/compat-wireless-3.5.4-1-snpc/drivers/net/ethernet/atheros/a‌​lx/alx.ko The ethernet should come to life. Test: ifconfig You should have an eth0 interface.
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chili555Nov 18 '12 at 13:50

I am running on USB key. Maybe that is the problem now.
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PaulNov 18 '12 at 14:02

Sorry I can't help with GRUB. Did the alx driver insmod as expected?
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chili555Nov 18 '12 at 15:07

OK, well, I installed Ubuntu on the hard drive and the compat-wireless module installed beautifully. The computer now recognizes my driver. This is a HUGE step. Thank you very much indeed.
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PaulNov 19 '12 at 7:30